The Change That Was Allen Walker
by monkeyyyslut
Summary: Allen is an introvert who has been handed down from one foster family to the next since he was 6. At 15, he lands up at Tiedoll Children's Home, where he becomes roommates with an outgoing redhead named Lavi. Is Lavi what Allen needs to open up once more?
1. Introducing: Allen Walker

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 1**; White and Red.

**Warning: **Initial OOC Allen.

* * *

Allen trudged down the stairs, school bag slung over his shoulder.

"Good morning, Tricia." he greeted his adoptive mother politely as he entered the dining room. Tricia looked up at him, and hesitated before she smiled. "Morning, Allen!"

Allen just nodded, before pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the dining table. Picking up an apple from a fruit basket, he bit into it and stared at the newspaper that his mother was reading. It grew quiet as Tricia focused on reading the newspaper, while Allen ate the apple.

"Ron left early for work?" Allen asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Ron was his adoptive father, and he worked as an events manager, earning at least a few million dollars a year.

"Yes, he did. He had a meeting to attend." Tricia answered softly, glancing quickly at Allen before glancing back at the newspaper.

Allen finished the apple and stood up, throwing the apple core in the nearby dustbin.

"I'll be off then," he announced, smiling at Tricia. He bowed slightly, before picking up his bag and headed towards the door.

"W-wait, Allen!" Tricia called after him. Allen cocked his head, looking back at her. "Yes, Tricia?"

"Uhm, would you want to go for lunch after school? You know, to spend some time together." Tricia managed a smile.

"Sorry, but I have extra classes after school." Allen apologized, frowning slightly.

"Oh, oh it's okay then. Well, bye then, Allen! Have a good day." Tricia waved. Allen just nodded at her, before walking out the door. After making sure that he had left, Tricia tossed the newspaper aside and rested her head in her hands, sighing deeply.

* * *

"God says that we should love one another as He has loved us, including our enemies." Father Leon smiled widely, gesturing towards the eight children seated at the tables in front of him. The three tables formed a U shape, and the children sat at its outer perimeter.

"Hey, Komui." Lenalee whispered to her elder brother as the priest continued teaching. "What is it?" Komui whispered back.

"I heard Tiedoll speak to Emilia just now, and he said something about a new kid that is gonna be joining us soon!" she replied excitedly. Komui raised an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Really? A new guy?" Lavi whispered from across the other table to her, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Lenalee grinned and nodded.

"I wonder if he's cute." Fou mused, nibbling on her thumb. "Or could it be a she?"

"Who cares, probably just gonna be another annoying brat." grumbled Kanda, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Who knows, you guys could end up being best buddies, walking to school arm in arm and telling each other love stories." Daisya snickered, earning a "Shut up, do you want to die?" from Kanda.

"Hey, that's an amusing thought." said Eva, laughing. Timothy laughed along too, but stopped when he felt Kanda's glare on him.

"Come on, are you guys even listening to what I'm saying?" Father Leon asked exasperatedly.

"Yeeeees." everyone replied in unison.

Father Leon smiled, before continuing with his preaching.

Just then, a couple and a 15 year-old child stopped outside the gates of the Home. A sign hung on the gates, and on the wooden sign was engraved the words: "Tiedoll Children's Home."

* * *

"So just because you can't seem to warm up to him, you want to pass him to us? It seems to me that both of you are treating this child as your pet, Mr and Mrs Woodberry." Froi Tiedoll said sternly.

"I-it's not like that!" Tricia insisted. "It's been half a year, and he's still so formal to us. No matter what we do, he treats us like strangers! He doesn't even call us Mum or Dad, just by our real names." Allen sat in a corner, staring blankly at the yellow walls.

"She's right." said Ron sadly. "He distances himself from us."

"It could be because he has problems? You never tried to find out, didn't you?" Froi sighed.

"Please, just take care of him. I think he would be much more happier here with people of his age. I'm deeply sorry." Tricia apologized. She and Ron stood up, glanced at Allen worriedly, before they were led by Emilia out of the front door. "I guess this is what rich people do for fun." Froi hissed, before glancing at Allen.

"Well, this is your new home then," said Froi, smiling kindly at him.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Allen replied, smiling back at him.

"Come on, Allen! Let me show you to your new room. You'll be sharing a room with Lavi. He's three years your senior." Emilia said, pulling Allen gently by the arm to his new room.

"Here you go." Emilia opened the door. The room was fairly large, and had just enough space to fit two people without it being too cramped. The walls were a light green, and on each side of the room had its own bed and small desk. On one of the beds lay a boy, who Allen presumed to be Lavi. He had a shock of messy red hair that was held up by a bandana, and was reading a book intently. He had looked up when Emilia opened the door.

"Lavi, this is Allen. He's new here, and he'll be your new roommate. Show him around and introduce him to the others, okay? Allen, that's Lavi." Emilia said, nudging Allen into the room. "Be nice!" she instructed fiercely, before closing the door.

Allen stood awkwardly in front of the door, suitcase beside him. Lavi looked him up and down, before exploding into a smile. He set his book down on the bed and bounded up to him.

"Hey there! I'm Lavi." Lavi said, sticking out a hand. He was slightly taken aback by Allen's head of white hair, and the scar that ran down his left eye, but he didn't show it.

"I'm Allen, though you should know that by now." Allen replied, shaking his hand. "So I take it that that's my bed over there?" he asked, cocking his head in the direction of the empty bed. "Yep!" Lavi nodded. "It's been awhile since I had a roommate!" he grinned. Allen merely smiled. Lavi pursed his lips, before shrugging it off. "Want me to help you unpack?" he suggested. "Sure." said Allen, unzipping his suitcase.

"You'll be attending school here right?" Lavi asked. "Yea, I will." Lavi grinned widely. "I'll get to show you around school then!" Again, Allen just smiled and continued packing his clothes into the cupboard that both of them shared. Lavi stared at Allen, tilting his head slightly. "You don't laugh much, do you?" Allen looked at him questioningly.

Man, did Lavi have a lot of work to do.

* * *

**Author's note**; I'll be adapting about 2/5 of the storyline from the 2005 Japanese drama, Engine, for this story. I just finished watching it yesterday, and then I spent today thinking of making it into a fanfic. It MIGHT become Laven. But with me writing it, I doubt there will be no Laven at all. ;) But don't worry, I don't think I want lots of romance or whatever in this one. The Laven (if there is) will be very slight, and towards the end. Go watch Engine if you can, and do review!


	2. Introducing: Rival

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 2**; Introducing: Rival

* * *

"Lavi! Allen! It's dinnertime!" Emilia called as she banged her fist on the two boy's bedroom door at exactly 7pm.

"Yeah, we're coming!" Lavi replied, slotting a small bookmark in between the pages of a book that he was reading. As he was wounding his bandana around his head, he watched as Allen tied a red ribbon around his collar. He adjusted it neatly, before slipping on a black vest.

"Quite the formal guy, huh?" Lavi commented, raising an eyebrow. Allen glanced at him, adjusting the gloves that he always seemed to wear, even when he was asleep.

"This is what I always wear." he said, as if he didn't understand why Lavi thought it looked strange. Lavi chuckled lightly, before opening the door.

"Come on! Let's head to dinner, everyone will introduce themselves there."

Lavi pushed open the wooden door, which led them to the dining room, the same room where they had listened to Father Leon teach them about God. Lavi never really listened during those preachings, anyway. He didn't believe in God.

They were the last ones to enter the room; everyone was already seated there, waiting for them. Pushing Allen gently into the room, he grinned.

"Hey, everyone! This is Allen Walker. He's 15, and he just came today."

"So it's a guy, afterall!" Lenalee said, nudging Komui.

"Quite a cute one too." Fou smirked.

"And he's your age, Fou!" Eva pointed out suggestively.

"Can we eat now…?" Daisya grumbled. "I'm so hungry."

"What a weird scar!" Timothy exclaimed. "And why is his hair white?"

Kanda tsked.

"Now, guys, that's enough," Froi sighed. "Come on you two, take a seat. Let's have dinner. Allen, you can have the empty seat next to Lavi." He gestured to the seat at the end.

After Allen sat down, Froi cleared his throat. "Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves to Allen here? I'm Froi Tiedoll." he smiled.

"I'm Emilia, I'm just an assistant here." Emilia said, tucking a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

"I'm Krory, and I'm also and assistant here." As he smiled, Allen thought that he closely resembled a vampire.

"Komui Lee. I'm 18, a 12th grader at Black Order High." Komui had dark hair, and wore wire-rimmed spectacles.

"Hi, I'm Lenalee! I'm Komui's sister, and I'm 14, an 8th grader. We're all from Black Order High here." Lenalee's long, ebony hair was tied up in two ponytails that trailed down her shoulders. Both she and her brother looked Asian.

"Daisya Barry. I'm a 7th grader." Daisya couldn't be bothered with a proper introduction, his stomach grumbling as he stared hungrily at the beef patty that lay innocently on the plate in front of him.

"Yo, I'm Fou Han. I'm your age, so we'll probably be in the same class or something." Fou grinned. Her bright pink hair was cut to a short, stylish bob, but she seemed tomboyish despite the feminine hair colour.

"Eva Grey here. I'm 16. Makes me a 10th grader." Eva smiled a wide smile. Her layered, ink-black hair was tied up messily in a lopsided ponytail, with strands of hair sticking out here and there. Her eyes were the same shade as Allen's, and he wondered absent-mindedly if her surname was somehow related.

"I'm Timothy Hearst!" Timothy yelled excitedly, earning a knock on the head from Kanda, who was beside him. He rubbed his head, wincing in pain. "You didn't have to do that, Kanda! Anyway, I'm 8! And I'm not from Black Order High, I study as a 2nd grader at Black Order Elementary." He smiled widely, pleased with himself.

Kanda tsked and folded his arms. There was a long pause as everyone around the table stared expectantly at him.

Froi frowned. "Come on, Kanda. A little introduction won't hurt." he coaxed.

Another long pause.

"I'm hungry!" Daisya whined.

"Yuu Kanda. Call me Yuu and I'll slice you. 12th grader." Kanda grunted. Froi smiled at him, satisfied. "Last but not least, that's Miranda over there." He gestured towards a middle-aged lady standing at the kitchen. She smiled warmly at them. "She's the cook here." Miranda gave a small wave, and Allen waved back.

"All right then, let's eat!"

* * *

Lavi walked into the room, scrubbing his hair with his bath towel. The moment he glanced at Allen lying on his bed, he laughed again at the memory of what had happened at dinnertime. Allen had surprised all of them-even Kanda-with his voracious appetite. He had eaten 12 beef patties, 2 bowls of salad, 2 plates of spaghetti and all of Lavi's French fries when Lavi had insisted that he could have it. Froi had inquired worriedly whether his previous foster parents had fed him well, and Allen had nodded, his face stuffed with food. This had surprised everyone even further, but it delighted Miranda to be able to cook more for the boy.

Allen looked up. "What are you laughing about?" he asked. "Oh, nothing." Lavi said, shaking his head. He flopped down on his bed, picking up the thick paperback that he was reading before dinner. It was about the Russian revolution.

"So, how was your first day here?" Lavi asked, turning a page of his book with a flick of his thumb.

"It was… Interesting. The people here are interesting." Allen turned over to him and smiled. Only then did Lavi notice that he was holding an old photograph, and was staring at it the whole time. It was faded and yellow. Lavi couldn't see it clearly from where he was, but he was sure that he saw the silhouette of a little kid and a man. Seeing that he was looking at the photo, Allen quickly stuffed it into his pocked and looked away. Lavi decided not to say anything about it.

"You saying I'm interesting, beansprout?" Lavi teased. Allen raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

"Beansprout?"

"Oh, that's the nickname Yuu gave to you." Lavi explained with a snicker. "He says you're short."

"That's…not very nice of him." Allen frowned. "And I thought he said that he preferred it if we didn't address him as Yuu."

"Don't worry about that! He doesn't mind, really! Yuu won't hurt a fly." Lavi said lightly, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. Allen looked rather doubtful though.

"Anyway, you'll be attending school with us tomorrow, right?" Lavi asked.

"Yes, I will."

"Hmm, wanna go to sleep now, then? Haveta wake up early tomorrow, y'know. School starts at 9."

Allen merely nodded, before switching off the lamp on his bedside table.

"Goodnight, Lavi."

"Goodnight, Beansprout!"

"… Please refrain from calling me that."

* * *

Lavi woke up abruptly from the sound of his annoying, beeping alarm clock. Rubbing his face, he slowly pushed the covers off and stumbled out of bed. He slammed his fist down on the alarm clock, ceasing the beeping instantly. He noticed that Allen's bed was empty; the bed was made properly and the pillows were fluffed. Lavi sat on his bed in surprise, then got up after the initial shock and went to the bathroom to change and wash up.

Bag in hand, Lavi rushed down the stairs for breakfast. Boy, he was hungry. Just as his left foot touched down on the last step, he realized that he had forgotten his bandana. Cursing, he ran up again to the room and fumbled around in his drawer for it. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Allen walk in the room.

"Oh, hi Lavi. I forgot my ribbon." Allen walked over to his beside table, retrieving his signature red ribbon from the drawer. Lavi watched as he walked out, before he noticed the faded photograph flutter to the floor. Lavi picked it up and looked at it.

There was a little boy in it with chestnut-coloured hair that was pulled up into a small ponytail. A man wearing a top hat was crouched down beside him, both hands on the little boy's shoulders. Both of them seemed so happy that it made Lavi smile as well. Lavi wondered who these people were, since the boy in the picture had brown hair, unlike Allen's head of white. Lavi didn't want to poke into Allen's business, so he returned the picture to the drawer where it was before it dropped to the ground.

"Lavi, come on! We're leaving soon!" he heard Lenalee call from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yea, I'm coming!" he quickly tied his bandana around his forehead and ran down the stairs.

* * *

Allen was quick to realize that everyone got on really well with each other.

"Come back here, baka usagi!" yelled Kanda, attracting concerned stares from passers-by. Gripping on to a wooden katana, Kanda ran through the hordes of students entering the school, chasing after the redhead that had accidently jabbed his eye with a tree branch earlier.

Eva chuckled at the scene, before noticing that Allen was walking alone now that Lavi had ran for his life. She nudged Fou.

"Hey, Froi said that he's in the same classes as you, so go over and keep him company."

"Okay then. Seeya, Ev." Eva waved as she disappeared in the crowd.

"Yo kid!" Fou greeted, punching Allen lightly on the shoulder. Allen looked at her.

"Hello."

Fou raised an eyebrow. Not exactly the cheerful, open guy.

"Come on, let's head to class. This way!" Fou pulled him with her into the school excitedly by the elbow and he struggled to keep up.

The bell rang just as Fou and Allen stepped into class. Mr. Wenham, their biology teacher, nodded as they walked in.

"Mr. Wenham, this is Allen Walker. He'll be joining us today." Fou gestured to Allen, who was trying to ignore the whispers and stares coming from the students.

"Thanks, Fou. You may take your seat." The whispers grew louder. Fou glared at the students as she walked to her seat.

"Hi, Allen! I'm Mr. Reever Wenham, your biology teacher. Care to introduce yourself to the class?"

Allen turned to the class, and all the whispering stopped instantly.

"I'm Allen Walker, birthday on December 25th. Nice to meet you."He nodded, and then looked at Mr. Wenham.

"That's it? Well, you can sit-"

"Nice hair!" someone yelled from behind.

"Weird ass tattoo too," he heard a girl comment.

"Looks like an old man." another one sniggered.

The whole class erupted in laughter. Allen just stood there, his face conveying no sign of emotion. No embarrassment, no anger, nothing.

"That's enough!" Mr. Wenham barked. He looked at Allen apologetically.

"I'll sit over there." Allen decided, before walking to an empty seat next to a window, four seats away from Fou. As he pulled out his chair, the people beside him edged away an inch. Mr. Wenham sighed.

"Open up your textbooks to page 204."

* * *

The bell rang as everyone poured out of their classes. Slinging his school bag over his shoulder, Allen walked out of class, people shoving past him. Fou caught up with him.

"Yo. Sorry about earlier, the stuff they said about you."

Allen glanced at her. "I'm used to it."

Fou looked embarrassed, ducking her head.

"Uh… well… Let's head to the cafeteria!" Fou smiled up at him, and she noticed that his eyes had lit up at the possibility of food.

The rest of the day progressed as such. In each class he was met with stares and rude comments. He didn't really care anymore though. To him it was like they were commenting about the weather. The only people that were nice to him were those from the Home (Kanda was an exception) and the teachers. He sighed. Humans really were pathetic to judge others by their looks.

"Yo, Beansprout!" Lavi sang, slinging his arm around Allen's shoulder. He and Eva were walking out of school when Lavi spotted them. Allen's eye twitched at the nickname.

"Hey, Lavi!" Eva tiptoed and cuffed his head. "I'm invisible to you, huh?"

"Owwww, Eva!" Lavi whined loudly. "That wasn't necessary! I was gonna say hi!"

Eva just smiled with an evil glint in her eyes. "I know."

"I don't know how your boyfriend can stand you at all!" he grumbled, massaging his head gently.

Eva grinned. "He handles pain well."

Allen stayed silent the whole walk home, just listening to the two bickering like children. He marveled at how close everyone was to each other, even Kanda. They were like a family. And how he yearned to be part of something like that. But he'd wished for it so many times that now it was just a wistful thought lingering in the corner of his mind.

They reached home, and Eva was laughing at a lame joke that Lavi had made. Allen was smiling too, and he found it refreshing to be smiling naturally for once. His stomach grumbled, so he walked to the kitchen to find some food while Lavi and Eva went to check the mail. Entering the kitchen, he found Kanda already at the fridge rummaging through it. Slamming the fridge door shut, Kanda stared at Allen with a bowl of chilled soba in his hand.

"What the hell are you staring at, Beansprout?" Kanda growled.

"Please stop calling me that." Allen simply said.

"Why should I?" snorted Kanda, as he shoved Allen in the chest and walked away.

"I don't insult you for your long, girly hair, do I?" Allen shot back.

Kanda stopped in his tracks and placed the bowl on the dining table, before turning around and glaring at Allen menacingly.

"What did you say?" he hissed. Allen stared at him blankly.

"Fucking beansprout!" he yelled, lunging at Allen and grabbing him by the collar, before slamming him into the wall.

"Don't think just because you're new here, I'm gonna be treating you nice or whatever." Kanda snarled into Allen's unmoving face.

"I didn't think that. I just think that you're being a jerk." Allen retorted. Kanda's eyes flared up, and he punched Allen, causing Allen to fall onto the ground with a thud.

"Yuu! What the heck's going on here?" Lavi shouted, rushing into the room after hearing the commotion from outside.

"_Don't call me by my first name_!" Kanda yelled, kicking Allen and advancing towards Lavi.

"Kanda!"

Kanda stopped, and his eyes swiveled to Eve who was now standing beside Lavi.

"Stop it, will you? That's enough." she scolded angrily. Kanda let out a loud tsk, before glaring at Lavi and stalking out the door. Eva rushed to Allen who was trying to sit up.

"Allen, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, noticing the purple bruise that was starting to form on his cheek.

"Yes, I am. You don't need to worry."

"Why didn't you defend yourself?" she asked. Lavi came and helped Allen to stand up. Allen didn't reply her question.

"He forgot his soba." he noted, before walking out the door. There was a pause as Lavi and Eva glanced at each other.

"That stupid guy keeps making enemies, and not friends." Eva sighed.

* * *

**Author's note**; Cupcakes will be given to those who review. If you don't want to review, it's okay. No cupcakes for you.


	3. Introducing: Beginning

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 3**; Introducing: Beginning

* * *

"Guess what tomorrow is, Allen!" Lavi exclaimed, bounding into the room excitedly. Allen gave a soft 'hmm?' as he continued scribbling the answers for his Literature homework on a piece of lined paper. Lavi pouted, annoyed by the lack of attention that his roommate was giving him.

"It's a school holiday!" he tried again, waiting to see the spark of happiness that would soon light up in Allen's eyes.

Nothing.

Lavi frowned, before snatching Allen's Literature homework away from him. Allen's hand swerved with the pencil, causing a long black line down the side of his paper. Allen's eye noticeably twitched.

"Please give me back my paper, Lavi," he asked in a strained tone, trying to contain his annoyance.

"But, Allen! Tomorrow's a school holiday! Why on earth are you bothering to do your homework now?" Lavi asked.

"That's none of your concern!" Allen replied, snatching back the paper from his hands. He fumbled in his bag for an eraser and rubbed out the ugly line.

"Well, a school holiday basically means that we'll be going to the neighbourhood park for a picnic!" he crowed.

Allen stopped writing for a moment as he turned his head to the side to blink questioningly at Lavi.

"As in, eating together on a picnic mat? With lots of food?" he asked, his eyes starting to sparkle the way Lavi wanted them too.

"Yep! Everyone will be there!"

"… Everyone, huh."

"Yeah. It'll be fun!" Lavi smiled his crooked smile. "I'll make sure Yuu doesn't pick on you." he teased.

"I don't get picked on." Allen corrected indignantly. Lavi just chuckled.

"Go find something to wear! You can't wear those formal clothes to the park!"

* * *

_"Mana, can I ask you something?" Allen asked after a moment of deep thought. Mana was holding onto his gloved hand as they crossed the busy street. Snow lined the pavements, and Allen enjoyed the crunching sound they made as he stepped on them._

_"What is it, Allen?" Mana asked. Allen furrowed his brows._

_"Are unicorns real?"_

_Mana looked down at him, a laugh escaping his lips. Allen stared back at him blankly._

_"Well?"_

_"I don't think so, no."_

_"Hey, but what if they are hidden among us?"_

_"Now, why would you think that, Allen?"_

_"There's rhinos, and they look just like unicorns, except fatter." Allen explained, using both his hands to indicate a big body._

_"But those aren't unicorns, they're rhinos." Mana pulled Allen to the side as a cyclist cycled past._

_"They could be in a disguise!" Allen suggested, his eyes wide at the thought. "We could've been fooled all the while!"_

_Suddenly, a large, red rabbit ran up to Allen, knocking him down onto the pavement with its two front paws._

_"A-lleeeeeeen!"_

_

* * *

_

"Allen! Allen, Allen, Allen~!" Allen woke up with a start to see Lavi straddling his chest and shaking him by the shoulders.

"Wha-! Lavi! Get off me!" he yelled, pushing Lavi off him roughly. Lavi landed on the floor with a thud.

"What are you _doing_?" Allen cried, sitting up in his bed. Lavi rubbed his butt, wincing in pain from the fall.

"I was just trying to wake you up. Di'nt have to be so rough, y'know!" Lavi complained as he stood up. He was already changed. Allen glanced at the clock. It read 7.03am.

It was then that Allen suddenly remembered about the picnic.

"Come on, don't just sit there staring! We'll be leaving in twenty minutes tops. Hup hup!" Lavi clapped his hands as Allen dragged himself away from the comforts of his bed where he had – just before the stupid redhead had woke him up – a nice dream.

It was such a wonderful dream. It was so rare to have one of those nowadays. Allen sighed inwardly.

* * *

The park was empty, with only a few people here and there – old couples taking a stroll, children feeding the stray cats that ran past ever so often, and joggers who were making use of the cool, morning breeze to have a workout.

"Come _on_, guys!" yelled Lenalee from up front. "We're reaching the spot soon!"

"I don't even know what the hell I'm doing here with you guys." Kanda grumbled angrily, lugging the cooler box with him.

"Don't be like that, Yuu!" Lavi chided said guy, narrowly missing a lunge to the neck. "It's such a beautiful morning, right Allen?"

Allen, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up with them, being the one in charge of the two picnic baskets filled to the brim with food. Panting, he settled both baskets on the concrete path.

"Lavi, help me carry one. It's unfair that you're just running here and there with both of us having trouble here." Allen huffed, glaring at Lavi.

"But Froi said that that was your punishment for fighting with Yuu just now," Lavi grinned, skipping away and avoiding another kick from Kanda. "Anyway, I already warned you not to wear those clothes! Now you'll be sweating even more!"

"Will you boys stop fighting for once?" sighed Emilia wearily. "Look, the rest are already up ahead."

Finally, after ten minutes of bitching (_from Kanda_) and complaining (_from Allen_), they reached the spot that Lenalee had _sworn_ was "the most amazing picnic spot_ ever_!".

And it indeed was.

A large oak tree sat in the middle of a small field of grass, providing a nice shade. Flowers grew here and there in patches, dotting the field with colours of white, yellow and red. A soft wind blew gently. It brushed against Allen's cheek playfully, tossing his messy, white hair in different directions. Allen smiled softly, and walked to the shade where the others were.

"It's beautiful, Lenalee." he breathed, still smiling, all traces of negative emotion gone. Lenalee looked up from where she was unpacking the food from one of the picnic baskets, and smiled back at him. "I knew you guys would love it!" Allen watched as Daisya and Timothy ran after each other, playing tag. Eva had brought her boyfriend, Daniel, along. He was now wrestling with Daisya and Timothy, and the three of them were rolling all around in the grass.

"All right guys, time to eat!" Miranda called. Lenalee, Emilia and Miranda had brought a large picnic mat and had settled it under the shade. There were sausages and cucumbers on sticks, a huge stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, three bags of potato chips, orange-flavoured ice popsicles, pancakes with maple syrup, and a large chocolate cake covered in chocolate syrup. Not forgetting a bowl of soba especially for Kanda.

Lavi watched as Allen started drooling.

"Let's eat then!" Froi announced, clapping his hands together. Everyone started digging in at once. Allen piled his plate high with food, unashamed. Everybody ate in silence for a while, the only sound being the birds and Allen's chewing. Allen finished eating in six minutes and forty-three seconds. (Lavi counted.)

"That was nice." Allen took a tissue and wiped his mouth daintily.

"Tsk, what a glutton." Kanda was seated slightly away from them, bowl of soba in his lap.

"Look at who's the one making the loud, slurping noises." Allen retorted, stacking up his plates neatly.

"Enough, boys." Froi said, shooting a warning glare at Kanda, who just shook it off with a tsk.

"Ne, Kanda, why don't you eat the food here as well?" Eva said. "Miranda, Emilia and Lenalee spent a lot of time preparing this for us."

"I didn't want to come along in the first place!" Kanda grumbled, pushing his empty bowl aside and folding his arms childishly.

"Come on, Kanda! At least try some of the chocolate cake!" Lavi prompted, taking a slice of chocolate cake and trying to force feed him.

"Get that out of my face! I hate chocolate!" Kanda shoved Lavi's hands away roughly, stalking away angrily.

"Yuu! Try some!" Lavi persisted, running after him and jumping on his back. Kanda, however, lost his balance and fell. Unfortunately, there was a steep slope in front of them. Both of them tumbled down the slope, landing with a loud _thump!_ on the ground below. Everyone rushed over to see what had happened.

Lavi was lying on top of Kanda, groaning in pain. The hand that was previously holding the chocolate cake was planted on Kanda's face. The chocolate cake was smeared all over Kanda's face. Lavi slowly got up, revealing Kanda's chocolate-covered face.

Timothy was the first one to giggle, and then his peals of laughter started ringing through the air. Everyone started laughing at the priceless sight, but stopped when they heard an unfamiliar laughter behind them.

Allen was laughing, his eyes squeezed shut into thin slits, and his arms hugging his waist to control the stitch that had formed in his side. The sound was like the sound of tinkling bells, a melody that was so joyous, it seemed to plant seeds of infectious happiness in everyone.

After realizing that everyone was staring, Allen stopped laughing abruptly, his face turning a bright shade of red.

"Allen, you finally showed signs of emotion!" Fou joked lightheartedly. "I knew you had some in you!"

Allen ducked his head, before running off quickly.

"Hey, Allen! Come back!" Eva called after him. "You just _had _to say that_." _she said, glaring at Fou.

"_Come back here, you fucking usagi!_" Kanda yelled at the top of his lungs. They saw a red streak as Lavi ran for his life, Kanda running after him in close pursuit, radiating a murderous aura. Chocolate cake was still smeared all over his face, but it seemed as if he cared more about the imminent murder of Lavi.

Allen panted, raising a hand to his chest to calm his rapidly beating heart. He had ran all the way back home, though he didn't know why.

"Maybe it was because I was so embarrassed," he murmured. Remembering the incident just made him blush even deeper. He sat on his bed with his knees brought up to his chest, slowly rocking back and forth.

"It's been so long since I've laughed like that," he whispered softly to himself. "It felt good, somehow." He brought a finger up to his face, slowly tracing the scar that ran along his left eye.

"Mana, I think I'm beginning to move on."

* * *

**Author's note**; This one came in 2 hours late, mainly because

1. I was procrastinating.

2. I was playing Robot Unicorn Attack.

3. I was watching The Walking Dead on tv.

Read+Review=Cookies.


	4. Introducing: Eva Grey

It had been two days since the day of the picnic, and everyone had let Allen off with a grin on their faces. All except Lavi, of course, who was absolutely_ peeved_ that he didn't witness it.

Allen walked into the cafeteria, his stomach pulling him towards the queue. Fou had to stay back to help a teacher, so he was alone. Even after a week, he still received whispers and stares as he walked to join the line. Especially from the table at the far corner of the cafeteria.

They were outcasts, just like Allen. They're skin was a deathly grey, which contrasted with their golden irises. The one that bothered him the most was the Portuguese-looking male whom the girls always seemed to swoon at. He was always staring at him, not out of discrimination, but more of interest, or if he daresay, _want_. Allen shivered, shaking his head to clear the inappropriate thoughts that were starting to form.

"Hey, Allen!" he heard a familiar voice call from behind. It was Shifu, his Chemistry lab partner. Beside him were Rikei and Loufa, who were also in their chemistry class. The three of them were friendly towards Allen, and never seemed to notice his hair or his scar, only his kind and friendly personality.

"Hi, Shifu, Rikei, Loufa." he greeted, flashing them a warm smile. He didn't notice Loufa's face turn beet red. As they queued, Loufa started ranting about how Mr. Cross kept picking on them during History. Allen wasn't paying attention to her rambling, and instead was focused on the mysterious grey-skinned family seated at the table. One of them - a girl with long, blonde hair – caught him staring. She said something to the Portuguese boy, and his eyes swiveled from the little girl with black, spiky hair next to him to Allen. He recognized the girl from his Literature class. His golden eyes bore into Allen's, and he gave a small smirk. Allen quickly turned away, staring at the person in front of him in the queue.

"He is_ so_ horrible and creepy! Don't you agree, Allen?" Loufa asked, staring up at Allen.

"Yeah, he is."

* * *

Allen sat at his desk as he waited for the lesson to start, idly playing with the small, mechanical toy that Mana had given to him long ago when they had first met. It was shaped like a ball, with two wings sprouting out from the sides. Mana had called it a golem. Allen noticed that it had started to rust a bit.

"Hey there!"

Allen looked up, and his eyes met with the girl from the weird family. She was grinning widely, hands clasped in front of her.

"I'm Rhode Kamelot." she stuck out a small hand, which Allen hesitantly shook. Her fingernails were painted black, and her hand was cold and uninviting.

"I'm Allen Walker."

"Yeap, I know!" she said, sitting down on the seat next to Allen. "You're the topic of the school, with your hair and eye."

"Oh, really?" Allen answered, deciding not to pay attention to the girl, and instead focused on the golem. He toyed it around in his hand, marveling at the amount of work put into making the tiny toy.

"Hey, what's that?" Rhode asked, reaching out to take the golem. Allen immediately snatched it away and tucked it in his pocket.

"I-I'm sorry, that's something important to me." Allen explained with a stutter. Rhode raised an eyebrow and was just about to say something when Ms. Nyne, their Literature teacher, walked in. Everyone scurried back to their seats, including Rhode.

"Bye, Allen." she waved. "I like you, you're cute!"

"Uh…" Allen managed, a bit stunned by her statement. Ms. Nyne started talking, and the conversation he had earlier with Rhode slowly faded from his mind.

* * *

Everyone lounged on the sofas beside the dining table, waiting for Froi to arrive. It was already twelve minutes past 7, and everyone was getting fidgety. Especially Eva, who was biting her lips nervously and twiddling with her thumbs.

"I'm hungry!" Daisya whined, clutching his stomach.

Allen's stomach let out a long, loud growl. Everyone stared at it in surprise, as if it were a monster on a chain. Allen scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. Just then, the door opened and Froi rushed in.

"I'm terribly sorry, kids. I was held up by something. Come on, let's eat!"

Everyone scrambled to the table and started eating. Today, Miranda cooked ramen, which was delicious, Allen thought. Well actually, to him right now _anything_ was delicious. There was silence as everyone enjoyed the food, until Eva suddenly put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat.

"Um, I have an announcement to make." she started, hands folded on the table top. Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"I want to get married."

Emilia was the first one to burst out. "You want to get married? But you're too young, Eva! You haven't even graduated yet!"

"Think about what others will see in you." Lenalee urged.

"I don't really care about what others think." Eva smiled. "I know what I'm doing."

"Then, think about what others will think about the Home." Froi said, shaking his head. "They'll think we don't bring up our children well."

"It's okay. I'll be moving out with Daniel, so you don't have to worry!"

"But I don't _want_ Eva to move out!" Timothy wailed. Komui shot her a look of disapproval, which she pretended not to see.

"I think you should wait, Eva." Lavi suggested, his tone serious. "First of all, you _are_ too young. Secondly, you've only known him for a year. At least wait till you graduate and move out before deciding on anything."

Everyone started voicing their opinons; arguing with Eva that it was too soon, that she should wait. Thus, it was only Allen who noticed that Kanda was tensed up. He was holding on to his chopsticks tightly, his knuckles turning white. The look on his face looked like he was annoyed (_which he always was_), but if Allen deciphered it in another way, it was a look of pain.

"We've already settled on getting married, Froi. I know what I'm doing, you can trust me. Fou, you trust me, right?" Eva looked at her best friend hopefully, her deep, grey eyes silently pleading.

"I don't know, Ev. I say wait. But if that's your decision..." Fou trailed off. She sighed, looking at Eva with a smile. "Then I can't do anything other than to support you, I guess. Daniel _is_ a good person, after all."

"You _do _know this means that I have to call your mother over, right Eva?" Froi said, casting her a warning look. Eva hesitated, before nodding.

"She can come over tomorrow."

* * *

"Is this what you've been teaching my child all along?" an angry voice yelled, the sound bouncing off the walls of the Home. Lavi and Allen were seated in the middle of the room, concentrating on a game of chess. Lavi threw his head up, groaning.

"Man, that bitch is noisy!" he complained.

"Check." Allen said, bringing his knight forward. He smiled proudly, pleased with himself.

"W-What? That's not possible!" Lavi scrutinized the board carefully, rubbing his chin in thought.

Down at the guest room, Eva's mum and Froi were having a fight. Eva sat on the couch, hands folded on her lap.

"Here she is, getting married when she hasn't even finished highschool! Are you telling me that you tolerate this kind of behaviour?" Eva's mum, Sara, shouted as she jabbed a finger at her daughter.

"No, I'm no-"

"Well, it sure seems as if you are!"

"Mum, Daniel isn't what you think. He'll take care of me, and he's loyal. He's coming over right now, so you can see for yourself. I know what I'm doing. I love him, and he loves me." Eva looked her mum in the eye, daring her to oppose. Sara glared back, before striding up to her daughter and slapping her across the cheek. Eva instantly recoiled from the touch, holding her cheek in hurt and disbelief.

"Madam, there was no need to-!"

"You don't know what love is. You're too young and foolish." Sara spat. A smirk slowly spread across her lips. "Fine, then. I'll wait here for the guy. Let's see if he even turns up at all!"

Eva glared back at her. "He will, you'll see. I'll go find him now." With that, Eva grabbed her bag and stalked out of the room.

* * *

Eva walked down the road to the 7-11 where Daniel worked as a part-timer. Pushing the door open, a bell rang, recognizing her presence.

"Is Daniel here?" she asked the man at the cashier. He was reading a magazine, and didn't even look up at her as he shook his head. Eva pursed her lips and walked out. Just as she stepped out of the door, she heard the roar of a motorcycle. Looking up, she saw Daniel removing his helmet and getting off the bike.

"Dan!" she called, running towards him. After seeing her, his face seemed to fall a little.

"Dan, thank goodness. I was wondering why you weren't at the shop. Come on, let's go to the Home. My mum is waiting for you." Eva grabbed Daniel by the wrist, and was about to walk off before Daniel pushed her away.

"I-I have to finish my shift." he muttered.

"Oh, it's okay. I can wait." she smiled at him, shoving her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. Daniel looked down, his brown irises darting from side to side.

"Don't wait, Eva. I won't ever be done." he said slowly, emphasizing on each word.

"What do you mean?" Eva asked, looking at him in confusion.

"I can't marry you, Eva!" he said exasperatedly. "I mean, I know I said so at first, but... After thinking about it for awhile, I decided that it's just too much trouble. I barely have enough money to support us, and I still have my dreams of going to university and graduating." He looked up at her, and winced at her hurt expression.

"But... But you said you wou-"

"I didn't know what I was saying, Eva. You just suggested it and it seemed fun. I thought it was going to be just us, and nobody else. But then it dawned upon me that I had to talk to your mother and everything. I still have a life, Eva!"

"Are you saying that I don't have a life?" Eva cried out at him. He seemed at loss for words. Quickly shoving on his helmet, he jumped onto his motorbike and started it up again.

"We'll keep in touch, okay?" With that he just rode off, leaving Eva standing at the roadside, confused and hurt.

Most of all, hurt.

"I told you, didn't I?" Eva spun around and came face to face with her mother. She was wearing a grin of triumph, her arms folded.

"You're just young and foolish, Eva. So naive to believe everything a guy tells you." Sara sneered at her. Tears welled up in Eva's eyes.

"You're the one who doesn't know anything about love!" she yelled, her face scrunched up in anger and disbelief. "You're the _slut_ who goes around dating any guy who pleases you, and once you accidently messed up and got left with me. You're the foolish one!" With that said, Eva ran as fast as she could back to the Home.

* * *

Kanda was on the couch when she came stumbling in, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Eva, wha-?" he began, but couldn't even finish his sentence before Eva collapsed in his arms, unable to control the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

Kanda tsked, but didn't say anything. He just stared at the clock on the wall, it's hands ticking ever so slowly.

* * *

It was 10.56pm.

Kanda stood up as he saw a figure walk out of the door of the convenience store.

"Daniel!" a girl exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere and wrapping her arm around his neck. "Finally! I was thinking that your shift would never end!" Daniel laughed as the girl unwound her arms from around his neck. "Let's go then." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started walking off.

"I want you to apologize to Eva. She's badly hurt."

Daniel twisted his neck to look behind him. Kanda stood there, leaning against a pillar. He stared at Daniel with a look of hate and malice.

"Another one from the Home. Gah, you guys sure are annoying!" he dismissed Kanda with a wave of his hand before walking off.

His face contorted with rage, Kanda dashed forward and kicked Daniel in the back, causing him to land face-first onto the road. Picking him up by the collar, Kanda punched his face repeatedly, ignoring the screams coming from the girl who was standing in a corner, terrified. He ignored everything and just kept bashing him, unleashing his anger onto Daniel's face.

"You."_ punch._

"Are." _punch._

"Such." _punch._

"A."_ punch_

"**FUCKING ASSHOLE!**" _punch. _

For Eva.

* * *

**Author's note**; Ahh, this one is late again. Basically, I was re-reading Kiss! Kiss! Love You, Baby! for like, the third time. That took me at least 3 hours. I never grow tired of it, I swear. Aaaaaand, I was also raping KurtHugoSchneider's Youtube channel for Sam Tsui's awesome voice.

In short, I was procrastinating.

Review and you get a "Say NO! To Sharks Fin!" pamphlet. Let's make it 5 pamphlets.


	5. Introducing: Yuu Kanda

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 5**; Introducing: Yuu Kanda

* * *

Kanda sat against the wall of the cemetery, his legs spread out and his arms crossed. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his brows furrowed, as if he were in deep thought. His eyes snapped open after a moment and he slammed his fist down at his sides.

"Argh!" he yelled, before burying his head in his palms.

* * *

Froi's eyes trailed after Nozuke as he walked slowly back and forth.

"I can't believe this." Nozuke murmured. He stopped abruptly, slamming a fist down on the table.

"I can't believe this! I left my son here, hoping that you would nurture him into a fine young man. And in the end, he's still the same as he was when I left him. Maybe worse!" Nozuke threw his hands up in the air in disbelief.

"This isn't like Kanda at all…" Froi began, rubbing his face with his hands.

* * *

"Kanda not back yet, huh? It's been two hours." Lavi asked, walking into the room that both of them shared with a towel round his head. Allen shook his head, sitting in front of the open window on his roller chair.

"Watcha' looking at, Beansprout?" Lavi inquired, dragging a chair over to the window to take a seat beside Allen.

A vein bulged on Allen's forehead. "I'm _NOT_ a beansprout!" he huffed angrily, flipping a strand of hair away from his eyes. Lavi laughed at his all-too similar reaction. "Man, Beansprout! You sure have gotten noisier since you've arrived here, no?" he chuckled. Allen took in a deep breath, before letting it out slowly. Why did he even bother arguing?

"It's kinda obvious now that Yuu liked Eva, huh." Lavi murmured, resting his chin on the windowsill.

"I already noticed it from the start." Allen said simply. Lavi looked at him in shock.

"Whaaat? I thought _I_ was supposed to be the observant one! How did'ya know anyway?"

"If you all had just kept quiet and _looked_, it would have been pretty obvious." he rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he remembered something. He spun around in his chair and rolled it to his table. A plate of _mitarashi dango_ sat on the table, sweet, brown sauce dripped all over it. Allen picked up a stick and devoured it, before returning to the windowsill. Lavi stared at him all the while, mouth slightly agape.

"You made Miranda cook the dango for you? How could you, Beansprout!" Lavi gasped in mock horror.

"Name'th _Ahen_!" Allen reminded him once more, his mouth full of dango. He chewed it slowly and swallowed before replying. "Anyway, Miranda didn't mind at all. In fact, she seemed happy." Allen resumed his gazing. Lavi tried to follow his gaze, but couldn't see what he was looking at. Allen's eyes flickered towards Lavi, and back to the sky.

"The stars. They bring back good memories." whispered Allen, smiling softly. Lavi raised an eyebrow. "Really? What memories?"

Allen hesitated for a moment. "Eh, it's nothing."

Lavi frowned, sticking out his bottom lip childishly. "Come on, Beansprout! You can tell me y'know. I'm your friend!" Allen's eyes widened slightly at the term Lavi had thrown at him casually.

"Your… friend?" Allen asked cautiously.

"Of _course!_ What do you think? We're roommates, Allen! And you're an awesome roommate at that. Since I'm awesome too, we're fated to be the bestest friends ever." Lavi chirped, spinning round in his chair.

"There's no such word as bestest, Lavi." Allen coughed.

"Yeah, yeah. So, what memories do those stars up there remind you of?" Lavi brought Allen back to the topic at hand.

"Just… My foster dad. He died long ago." Allen murmured. Lavi considered this for a moment, before smiling. "So, you've never had parents too, huh? Or at least hardly knew them." A strange emotion of sorts flashed across Allen's eyes, before he simply nodded.

"Well, then we're both alike!" Lavi laughed, slinging his arm casually around Allen's shoulders. "My parents committed suicide together. Shot each other in the head. They left me with my granddad, but he… Well, he died too." Lavi's eyes saddened. He shook his head, before giving Allen a bright smile.

"Ah, let's not think about that, shall we?" Lavi unwound his arm from around Allen's shoulders and tousled his hair playfully. Allen frowned, trying to arrange his hair neatly again. A loud shout from below made both of them jump in their seats.

"That boy, I'm telling you that he's only doing this to get our attention!" Nozuke yelled. He picked up his briefcase and walked to the door.

"Sir, I don't think-" Froi began, following after him.

"I don't want to wait anymore. I have work to do. I won't bother about him anymore." Nozuke slammed the front door in Froi's face. Froi sighed as he heard the engine of a car being started up, and walked back to his room.

"This is my fault, isn't it," Eva was there, sitting on the steps. It wasn't much of a question and more of a statement. She ran her fingers through her messy hair, sighing. Froi shook his head.

"Kanda did this on his own accord, there is nobody to blame but himself." he said, squeezing her shoulder in assurance. "Don't worry about it." She heard his footsteps as he walked up the stairs. Lights went off awhile later, leaving Eva alone in the darkness.

* * *

Kanda's eyes snapped open as he heard footsteps nearing. He got up and quickly scrambled to sit behind a tombstone.

"You don't need to hide." came a familiar voice.

Kanda craned his neck and spotted a head of pink hair walking towards him. He looked away as Fou sat beside him.

"Just came here to tell you that your father stopped by last night." she said, noticing Kanda tensing up. "He was pretty much shouting his ass off, so everyone could hear the conversation between Froi and him." She yawned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing.

"He said that you're doing all of this for his attention, just to create more trouble for him." Fou snickered. "Of course, all of us know that that's not the case. That you did all of this for Eva" Kanda whipped his head round to face her, grabbing her by the collar.

"Who ever said that I did it for that stupid freak?" he growled. Fou rolled her eyes at him. "Hey, I came all the way here on my own accord just to tell you this. Can't you at least be a bit more appreciative?" Kanda tsked and let go of her. Fou pushed herself off the ground with ease and started walking off.

"You should hand yourself up to the police." she said. "It's the right thing to do, since they're combing the place for you now. Oh, and don't worry. Eva's too naïve and worried about you to realize you have the hots for her."

"I don't-!" Kanda began, but stopped. "She's worried?"

Fou glanced back at him. "We all are, but she's the most worried." With that, she disappeared round the corner.

Kanda let out a sigh. It was then that he knew what he had to do. He gritted his teeth, running his fingers through his long, black hair.

* * *

Kanda stopped in front of a large hospital. He pushed open the gates slowly and walked in. He decided to wait at the main entrance for his father to finish his work. So he stood there. And waited. Waited.

He waited and waited till 12pm, when finally, a familiar silhouette walked through the automatic sliding doors.

"O-Otou-san." Kanda called out hesitantly, walking after his father. Nozuke stopped walking upon hearing his voice, but didn't made any move to turn around and greet him. Instead, he walked briskly to his car.

"Go." he ordered the driver. Kanda stared as the car started moving off.

"Hey! Wait! Otou-san!" he yelled, dashing towards the car. The car didn't stop though. Kanda caught up with the car and started banging his fist against the window that his father was seated next to. The car stopped abruptly.

"Otou-san, please. Please. I need to tell you something. Please! _Otou-san!_" Kanda shouted as loud as he could, yet Nozuke made no movement whatsoever.

"Please, I'm begging you. This is important. Please!" Nozuke frowned slightly, as if pondering on whether he should listen. Then, his face stiffened, and all Kanda heard from inside the car was a "Just go." as the car drove off, and he was left all alone. Breathing hard, Kanda stumbled backwards and leaned against the brick wall, crumpling into a heap. He gave out a loud tsk as tears started to form.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble for him. It wasn't for attention. I didn't mean any of it, _goddammit!_" he clawed at his face with his hands in self-hatred.

* * *

"Kanda had been sent here due to his parent's complaints of his unruly behaviour." Froi explained to Allen, who was seated on the sofa, casually flicking through a magazine. He stopped flicking though, so that he could listen. Eva, Lenalee and Lavi sat on the couch beside Allen, and stopped talking to listen as well.

"They thought that he was doing everything on purpose, just so that he could get attention. Truth is, Kanda was always trying his best, always trying to meet his expectations. No matter how hard he tried, though, he always ended up failing. He felt that he couldn't do anything right. His parents didn't understand though, and favoured his older and much more intelligent brother over him." Froi sighed, before continuing. "Parents put so much stress on their children nowadays."

* * *

A few days later, Kanda returned home from prison. Since it wasn't his birthday yet, he was still considered a minor, and only required detention and was let off with a very stern warning. He tried to ignore the knowing smiles that everyone was giving him (_those bastards_), and instead enjoyed the soba that Miranda had cooked, with Eva beside him as she interrogated him.

Lavi and Allen watched from behind the door. Lavi snickered ever so softly, before closing the door shut with a soft _click_.

"We shouldn't be spying on them, it's not nice." Allen insisted, getting up to go back to their room.

"Allen, stop being such a goody two shoes, will ya?" Lavi whined, trailing behind him. "And this is Kanda we're talking about! If there's gonna be any smooching going on in here, man we _have_ to see it."

"I think I meant that it's not nice for _Eva_." Allen said, cocking an eyebrow. "Why would I ever have any concern at all for that pathetic, bloody asshole?"

Lavi gaped at Allen's use of French. "S-since when were you so vulgar, Allen!" he cried out in surprise. "You've changed so much ever since I've met you! Ohmigod, it must be Yuu." Lavi murmured, pacing around the room anxiously. Allen simply rolled his eyes and picked up another mitarashi dango that Miranda had just cooked for him.

Maybe he _had_ changed, he thought as he chewed silently on a dango, ignoring Lavi's incoherent mumblings. He didn't know if it was for the better or the worse. He shot a glance at Lavi, who was suddenly lying on his stomach in the middle of the room, snoring soundly.

Well, he had friends. But not particularly sane ones.

* * *

**Author's note**; Just the thought of dango is making me drool, dammit.


	6. Introducing: Komui Lee

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 6;** Introducing: Komui Lee

* * *

Lavi ran up to Allen, before pouncing on him in the ultimate glompage.

"A-lleeeeeeeen!" he exclaimed, releasing his hold and pulling Allen into a chokehold.

"L-Lavi, stop that!" Allen cried out, not used to the intimacy that Lavi so casually displayed. In fact, he was quite sure that the last person who had hugged him was Mana.

"Ya headin' to the cafeteria to eat?" Lavi asked, full of cheer. Allen sweatdropped, annoyed by the fact that Lavi pretended as if he hadn't said a thing, and _still_ had his arm around Allen's neck.

"Obviously, yes." Allen shrugged out of Lavi's hold, adjusting his tie pompously.

"Kanda, Komui and Fou should be there by now!" Lavi said enthusiastically, ignoring Allen's rather cold reply.

As they arrived in the canteen, the stares started again. There were less though, maybe because they had grown used to Allen's weird features. Or maybe because of Lavi's glares at those who's gaze seemed to linger longer than necessary.

"Ne, Allen, why don't you go and join the queue first?" Lavi suggested, glancing down at the white-haired boy. "I'll go find for the others." Nodding, Allen made his way through the crowd of students to join the queue. He got in the queue, behind a girl blabbering incessantly on her hot pink cellphone, and stared longingly at the trays of food lined up for them.

A pale grayish-toned finger made contact with his shoulder.

"Hello there." The Portuguese guy was standing behind him in the line, giving him a smile that sent goosebumps crawling all over his skin.

"H-Hello." Allen replied uneasily, smiling wearily before turning back to face the person who was in front of him. She was still chatting enthusiastically.

"Wanna join us for lunch? I'm Tyki, by the way." came the voice again, right at Allen's ear. Allen jumped as he felt Tyki's hot breath brush against his neck.

"No, thank you!" Allen exclaimed, scurrying after the girl in front in order to fill up the gap that had formed as the line moved forward.

"You sure about that?" Tyki asked, the smile still plastered on his lips.

"What are you doing, Mikk?" Lavi had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing beside Allen. His voice was dangerously low, and his hand was grabbing Tyki's wrist.

"Now, now, don't need to get possessive, Bookman." Tyki shook Lavi's hand off, winked at Allen, and walked back to his table without getting anything. Lavi stared after him with pure hatred in his eyes.

"So! Whatcha' gonna eat, Allen?" Lavi's bright smile was back, no traces of the dark aura left. Allen stared at Lavi in bemusement. Lavi stared back at him, head tilted to the side.

"Anyone in there?" he asked, waving his hand in front of Allen's face. Allen blinked a few times, deciding to forget about the whole incident.

"About six plates of that spaghetti would do."

* * *

Komui Lee loved his sister. He loved her a lot. Wait, even that was an understatement. He practically _worshipped_ the ground she walked on.

"Brother, what d'ya think Miranda's gunna be cooking for dinner?" Lenalee asked, swinging her black school bag cheerily to and fro.

"Mmm, katsu-don, maybe? Who knows. We can get something to eat from the minimart if you're hungry!" Komui beamed at her.

"It's okay. I can find something to eat back at home." Lenalee assured him with a smile.

A bunch of gangly boys walked past at the moment, one of them accidently shoving Komui roughly.

"Watch where you're going, ass!" the boy yelled, before stopping in his tracks.

"H-Hey! It's that guy!" he exclaimed, jabbing a finger in Komui's direction, who had stopped as well and was staring at them questioningly.

"Eh, yeah! I remember him! My mum told me about his parents once." Another guy with bleached hair and numerous earrings added. Komui stiffened.

"Lenalee, go home." Komui instructed, pushing her away.

"Brother?"

"Go home!" he yelled. Lenalee looked up at him, worry written all over her face, before she ran off.

"A whore for a mother and a murderer for a dad." One of them scoffed, sneering at Komui as if he were a maggot. "I bet he isn't even your real father anyway."

That was when Komui snapped.

* * *

Lenalee sat on the sofa, burying her head in her palms.

"I shouldn't have left." She choked out, suppressing a sob. Everyone sat around her, comforting her and assuring her that it wasn't her fault. Except for Kanda of course, who just sat at the dining table with his arms crossed.

"Do you even know why he got into that fight?" Lavi asked. Lenalee hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head.

"The last thing he said to me was to go home." She said, eyes tearing up again. The wooden door to the room slid open as Froi walked in.

"He's recovering in the hospital now." He announced, smiling. A wave of relief immediately swept itself over Lenalee, and she jumped up from her seat, smiling widely.

"Can I go see him?"

Froi pursed his lips.

"Not yet, Lenalee. The police are questioning him and the others involved."

Lenalee's face fell as she slumped back onto the sofa, worry replacing her short-lived joy.

"You'll see him soon, Lenalee." Eva assured her, stroking her back comfortingly.

* * *

**_Three days later;_**

The doorbell rang.

Froi stood up slowly and walked over to answer it. A group of three middle-aged ladies greeted him at the door; their faces smug yet sour.

"How may I-"

"We're here to see the person in charge of this place." The woman in front interrupted. Her face was covered with thick layers of makeup and her hair was pulled up into a sophisticated-looking bun. Rings adorned her fingers and pearl necklaces hung heavily on her neck. Coupled with stiletto heels and a spaghetti-strap blouse, she looked like a prostitute-wannabe.

"That would be me." Froi replied. "Come in." He ushered the women in, ignoring the looks of distaste that each one shot at him.

Leading them into the dining room, he motioned to Allen and Lavi – who were playing chess – to leave the room. Both picked up the chess pieces and the chess board before exiting quietly, but not before shooting Froi and the ladies a curious glance.

"Now, what can I do for you?" Froi asked, after he had them seated with cups of coffee in front of them.

The heavily made-up lady looked at her friends, before looking Froi squarely in the eye.

"We're here to complain about the recent reports of violence coming from this children's home. All the neighbours have agreed that they feel it's too dangerous for this home to be here."

Froi narrowed his eyes. "What are you suggesting?"

"We want you to close down."

* * *

"Hello, Lenalee." Allen greeted politely as he entered her room. Lenalee looked up from the book she was reading.

"Hey, Allen!" she smiled, putting her book down and sitting up. "What's up?"

"Well, uh, I was just checking to see if you're okay. You seemed really down earlier."

"I-I'm fine. They just confirmed that brother's serving a one-month jail sentence. That's not so bad." Her smile seemed strained as she looked down at her hands.

"Yeah, I guess it isn't. At least you'll see him soon." Allen nodded.

"I-I knew all along, though." Lenalee whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"I know why he beat those guys up. I knew what happened to my mum and dad. He told me to go home, only because he didn't want me to know the truth."

* * *

**A/N: **-scratches back of head nervously.- Heh. Sorry for the really, really, really, _really _late update. ._. I truly am. And I'm sorry this one's so short, too.

_Merry Christmas, y'all!_


	7. Introducing: Lenalee Lee

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 7**; Introducing: Lenalee Lee

* * *

Allen exited the room, closing the door shut behind him with a click. In his head, he ran through the conversation that he had just had with Lenalee.

* * *

"Why did he do it, then?" Allen asked, dragging a chair over to sit beside Lenalee, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed.

Lenalee didn't reply for a while. She fiddled with her thumbs, seeming to think of how to say what she wanted to say.

"Those guys… They were saying something about my mum and dad." She sucked in a deep breath before continuing.

"My mum worked in a brothel. Twice, she gave birth, and we were her children. My dad definitely wasn't my brother's dad though. My dad murdered my mum when I was four. Komui was eight at that time, and he was determined to hide the truth from me. As I grew up, he told me that both our parents had died in a car accident. He thought that I didn't know. But I understood, what with all the news reports that was shown on TV. " Lenalee smiled.

"But it's okay. I was never affected by it." She laughed light-heartedly. "They're not my family, after all. Everyone here is!"

Allen smiled at that, patting her shoulder.

"Komui will be fine, don't worry."

Her face scrunched up in worry, and Allen instantly knew he shouldn't have said that.

"I believe you."

* * *

Froi entered the dining room looking tense. All of the noisy chatter stopped once he stepped in, everybody sensing that something was wrong.

"Wassup, Froi?" Timothy asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I have an announcement to make." Froi began, hands on the table in front of him. "The neighbours are ordering us to close down."

"What? What makes them think they can do that?" Fou started, face contorted with rage.

"Why would they want us to move, anyway?" Lavi asked, fists clenched. "It's because of the incident regarding Kanda and Komui, isn't it?"

"Bastards." Kanda said, gritting his teeth. Eva rested her forehead in her palm, not knowing what to say at all.

"What are you going to do, Froi?" asked Daisya, his usually cheerful and mischievous face gone, replaced with one of worry and dread.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Not only that, we have $5000 worth of rent yet to pay." Froi lowered his face in shame.

Allen stared at his hands that were folded on the table, his brows mashed together in a line of worry. Lavi patted his hand comfortingly.

"Gonna' be okay." But even Lavi couldn't deny the fact that it wasn't going to be.

* * *

"Where ya' going, Allen?" Lavi drawled, his half-awake form sprawled all over his bed. "It's only 8am…"

Allen stared at Lavi's suddenly unmoving form, deciding not to answer as he walked out the door. Lavi wouldn't remember this by the time he woke up, anyway. Closing the door silently behind him with a soft click, Allen went off quietly. He knew where she lived, since he had seen the woman watering the flowers in her garden once.

Allen adjusted his tie once more, before knocking twice on the intricately designed wooden door. He stared up at the huge house, mouth slightly agape in awe. The door creaked open, revealing the woman that Allen had seen that day. She was wearing a thick, fluffy pink bathrobe with polka-dotted silk pajamas underneath.

"What do you want so early in the morning? If you're selling chocolates, I'm on a low-fat diet." She hissed, arms crossed. She was slightly taken aback by Allen's scar, but decided to make no comment. The things kids do nowadays to attract attention.

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Allen Walker." He introduced himself, sticking out a gloved hand. The lady eyed his hand. After a moment, Allen dropped his hand awkwardly.

"I want to speak with you, regarding the children's home."

"Huh. That home's closing down. Nothing you can do about it." She scoffed.

"I'd like to try." Allen insisted, tone unwavering. She looked him up and down and sighed.

"Fine. Come in."

* * *

The floors were all a dark hardwood, polished to a slightly slippery shine. The walls were papered in intricate patterns or painted in rich tones of maroon and gold. A spiral staircase stood off to the left, its banister gleaming in the light from the chandelier that hung from the ceiling. To the left, an elaborate archway led off into some other room Allen had yet to identify. Looking around at the general splendor, he decided that if he hadn't been intimidated before, he certainly was now.

"So this is how rich people live." He mused to himself.

He noticed that there wasn't anyone at home. It was quiet, the only sound being the click-clack of the lady's high heels. As he walked through the house, he noticed the various photo frames that hung on the walls. There were kids in them, all laughing and so happy that it made Allen smile too. They entered the living room.

"Sit there." She instructed, jabbing a finger at the sofa that sat nearby. Allen obeyed, sitting down with his hands folded on his lap.

"Say what you came here to say." she said, sitting down opposite him, arms folded again. A maid came with a tray. She set two cups in front of them and proceeded to pour them tea. Allen thanked her and waited for her to leave before speaking.

"I arrived at the Home about two months ago. I didn't bother to talk to anyone, didn't bother to learn more about the people I shared a home with. I kept to myself and spoke only when I was spoken to. I knew that sooner or later, I'd be transferred out of that place anyway. My whole life was full of that kind of thing.

And then suddenly, someone's asking us to close down. I expected myself to be neutral about it. I'd just be moved somewhere else. But that was when I realized something: I loved them. I loved everyone at the Home, even Kanda, who insulted me, Timothy, who played pranks on me, Lavi, who would would tackle me and mess up my hair for no reason and Komui, who always seemed to be able to beat me at chess. Somehow, over those past two months, these people had opened me up. They made me feel like I belonged to something, something like a family. They never _ever_ once asked me about my scar, or about my deformed arm, and they loved me for who I was. I've never felt this way before, since my father died, and I don't want this to be taken away from me.

Kanda and Komui… The only reason why they did the things they did was because they wanted to protect us. We're the only family we have in this world, cos nobody else understands us. We only have each other, and you're gonna be taking the only thing we have away from us."

Allen finished his speech with a whisper, pausing before taking a sip from the cup of tea that was placed in front of him.

The lady seemed stunned for a moment. There was a short pause before she spoke, her features softening.

"I never knew. But I know how it feels." she smiled a small smile.

"I'll give you a chance, boy. You're late with rent. Pay up the $5000 rent in a month, and you're allowed to stay."

The lady was shocked when Allen's innocent smile suddenly transformed into a devious one.

"Alright, then."

* * *

"Allen!" Lavi cried, pouncing on said person the moment he walked through the door of the Home. Allen, foreseeing this, expertly side-stepped him, sending Lavi crashing into the wall.

"God that hurt." Lavi whined, rubbing the purple bruise that had formed on his head. "You're mean!"

"Yeah, yeah." Allen ignored him and headed to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Ne, where did you go so early in the morning? It's Saturday, you weirdo! You're supposed to sleep in!"

Allen opened the fridge, revealing a bowl of soba that was meant for Kanda as a snack. He took it out to eat.

"Y-you can't be serious man." Lavi sweatdropped. He watched as Allen opened the cutlery drawer and retrieved a pair of chopsticks.

"I was at the park feeding the birds." Allen answered Lavi's question. Lavi narrowed his eyes, looking Allen in the eye. Allen responded with a slurp as he ate the soba.

"Fine, whatever." he grinned.

None of them heard the door slide open.

"What. WHAT THE _FUCK_ ARE YOU DOING EATING MY SOBA?"

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guise. Happy New Year's Eve! Every year just zooms by so frickin' _fast_. Here's your new year's gift.

**Omake.**

"I-I can't believe you, Allen!" Lavi exclaimed, shivering. Komui, Kanda, Lavi, Krory, Froi and Allen sat in a circle. They watched in despair as Allen dealt the cards for another round.

Allen merely smiled in response, his signature ribbon laying innocently beside the stack of clothes that was in the middle of their circle.

"You're obviously _cheating_." Kanda spat, snatching his cards from Allen.

"Prove it then." Allen grinned. There was a short silence as they checked their cards.

"Royal Straight Flush, again. Boxers off guys." Lavi _swore _that he saw Allen lick his lips.

"No _fucking_ way!"


	8. Introducing: Mana Walker

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 8**; Introducing: Mana Walker

* * *

It was 2am. The Home was quiet; all it's occupants fast asleep. Allen thread carefully across the bedroom floor, avoiding all the squeaky boards that he knew would wake the slumbering redhead. He shot a glance at the room before exiting and noticed that Lavi hadn't bothered to put away his book before sleeping. It lay on his face. Sighing, Allen plucked the book from his face, noticing that he had drooled on the pages. Cringing in disgust, he dropped the book on Lavi's bedside table. The _thud_ sound stirred the sleeping boy. Allen stood still, not daring to make a sound. Lavi rolled over, pulling hisblanket over him before muttering something incomprehensible.

Pulling his grey hoodie over his head, he scampered along the pavement. The night air was chilly. It had just rained and the pavements were slippery. He stopped at a bar and walked in.

Three hours later, Allen Walker walked out of the bar with $7,430.

"Get back here, old man!" someone shouted from inside the bar. Allen stuffed the money in his jeans pocket and made a run for it as four burly men chased after him. He ran into a dark alley, panting heavily. Dumpsters were lined against a brick wall.

"Can't escape now. Hand us back the money, you sneaky little cheat." One of the heavily tattooed men advanced towards him. Allen lunged forward, kicking him square in the stomach before using a nearby dumpster as leverage to help him climb over the wall. His pursuers copied his actions, but by the time they had climbed over, the mysterious old man was nowhere to be seen.

_

* * *

The next day, during dinner:_

"Evenin' kids!" Froi greeted all of them happily. It had been three days since he had announced that the Home was going to close, and it had been gloomy so far. So it was a wonder why he was so happy now.

" I have very good news. The Home can stay!"

"W-what? Really? That's a miracle!" Emilia exclaimed, jumping out of her seat.

"Apparently, $7000 was donated to us this afternoon from an anonymous donor. I used $5000 to pay for our overdue rent, and the neighbours are allowing us to stay! To celebrate, the remaining $2000 will be used for a television and an outing."

Lenalee immediately broke down in tears, all the worry of losing her friends having been lifted. Fou hugged Eva, laughing in relief, and Timothy high-fived Daisya.

"Isn't this awesome, Beansprout!" Lavi yelled.

"I'm not a beansprout!" Allen protested, but he grinned in response.

* * *

"Lavi, hurry up!" Allen groaned, banging his fist against the toilet door.

"Yeah, I'm almost done! Geez beansprout, a man needs his toilet time." Lavi's muffled voice came from behind the door.

"Hmph."

"I wonder who would care enough to donate so much money for us." Lavi mused aloud. "Must be one of those super rich guys further down the street."

Allen was glad that Lavi couldn't see the gleeful smirk that had planted itself on his lips. The knob twisted and Lavi exited the bathroom. Allen immediately put on a poker face.

"Who knows, there might be some good people in this world afterall." He said simply, replacing Lavi in the bathroom.

* * *

_"Seems like your dad isn't here yet." Ms. Moore said as she walked into view. Allen was still sitting on the wooden bench, waiting patiently. He peered up at her with bright, grey eyes as he brought his knees up against his chest, wounding his arms around them._

_"He'll be here soon." He smiled. "He's probably caught up in traffic." Ms. Moore sat beside the boy, stealing glances at him. The soft smile never left his face, it seemed._

_She had heard rumors from other teachers that he had been abandoned when he was a baby. His "father", Mana Walker, had found him outside a bakery and had taken him in as his own son. The boy was extremely attached to the man, the mere thought of him never failing to bring a smile to his face._

_They waited, and waited, and waited. Allen shuddered as the clock struck seven, tugging on his scarf. The winter air was biting._

_"Allen, why don't I bring you home? It's been an hour." Ms. Moore suggested, standing up._

_Allen looked reluctant, but finally stood up and grabbed her hand. She smiled at him. "Let's go."

* * *

_

Allen strode out of the school gates, breathing in the fresh and crisp winter breeze. School had ended a few hours ago, but he had stayed back to take a test that he had missed. The streets were empty and quiet, and Allen decided to take a shortcut in order to get home faster. He ducked into a small alleyway. As he turned the corner, he caught sight of Tyki leaning against the wall.

He cringed and immediately turned around, deciding that he would just take the long way home.

"Don't pretend you didn't see me." A voice came from behind him. Before he could turn around, a hand found itself to his neck and slammed him against the nearby brick wall.

"What do you want?" Allen grunted, struggling against Tyki's grasp. Tyki simply smirked before throwing his cigarette on the floor.

"I know all about you, Allen Walker."

Allen's eyes widened infinitesimally. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mana Walker. Slipped and fell from the thirteenth storey of a building and died on impact when he was just 43."

* * *

_"MANA!" Allen shrieked, running with lightning speed towards the unmoving body that was sprawled all over the concrete ground. Blood seeped out from his head, covering the whole ground in red. Panting, Allen crouched down beside his father, tears pouring down his cheeks as he shook the man, all the while sobbing out the same name over and over again._

_"Mana… Mana…. Mana!" The distant sound of an ambulance and paramedics didn't move Allen. He let out a heart-wrenching wail as he rested his head against Mana's chest. Even as paramedics came into view, he refused to budge as he lashed out at them, struggling free of their grip. Three paramedics had to drag him away as they laid his father, the only person who had ever loved him and cared for him, on a stretcher and took him away._

_"Mana… Mana… Mana, don't leave me!" he cried. Ms. Moore had replaced the paramedics, cradling Allen in her arms. She didn't know what to do as the boy's entire frame shook with every sob_.

* * *

"So what?" Allen gritted his teeth.

"Your "father", " Tyki made his fingers into quotes with his free hand. "Didn't fall."

Allen stopped struggling, stunned by Tyki's words.

"What are you trying to say?" he hissed. Tyki simply smiled.

"He committed suicide."

A sharp intake of breath.

"T-that's impossible! You're lying!" Allen lashed out, his face contorted with rage. "Mana would never leave me alone like that!"

Tyki started laughing. "You never really knew your father, Allen. He was escaping debts. Piles and piles of em'. My father was after him, and gave him three days to pay back ten thousand dollars."

Allen didn't know what to say.

"And since he's dead, I guess we'll have to collect the money from you." Tyki smirked. "You don't need to pay immediately, though. I can always have this first while I wait…" he murmured, his free hand slipping inside Allen's jeans. Startled, Allen raised his knee and hit Tyki in his jewels. Tyki shouted in pain and Allen used this chance to escape. Tyki lunged out at him and grabbed him by his scarf, pulling him back.

"Let go of me, you creepy fuck!" Allen yelled as Tyki pinned him to the ground, straddling his stomach.

Tyki pressed his lips against Allen's forcefully, prodding his lips open with his tongue.

Suddenly, he felt his body connect with the wall as a streak of red lunged at him. It seemed as all of the air in his lungs had just been knocked out of him. Gasping for air, he saw Lavi point the finger at him as he hoisted Allen on his back.

"Fuck you." Lavi said in a calm voice, before running off.

* * *

**A/N:** I love calm yet angry Lavi. 3


	9. Introducing: Lavi Bookman

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 9**; Introducing: Lavi Bookman

* * *

Lavi knocked on the door before opening it slowly. Allen lay on his bed, snoring softly. Dragging a chair over to the bed quietly, Lavi sat the bowl of soup he was carrying on Allen's bedside table. He reached out a hand slowly and hesitated before brushing a lock of hair out of Allen's eyes.

"Stupid Moyashi," Lavi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Making me worry so much." Allen stirred in his sleep, his eyelids slowly fluttering open. He sat up with a start as his eyes adjusted to the room.

"You okay?" Lavi asked. "We're in your room. It's slightly after dinner."

Allen rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked a few times.

"T-Tyki…?"

"He won't be touching you for a long time."

Allen blushed and looked down at his lap.

"Sorry I had to disturb you like this." He apologized meekly. Lavi simply smiled as he handed the bowl of soup to Allen.

"Hey, we're family."

The word seemed to light a spark in Allen's sad eyes. A smile crept up his lips.

"That Tyki… What did he want from you?" Lavi stared into Allen's eyes, expecting the truth and nothing else. Allen averted his gaze, deciding to focus on Lavi's pinky that was resting on his lap.

"Allen." Lavi urged. It was rare to not see Lavi in his usual hyperactive state. Now he was serious; his brows were furrowed too tight and his eyes seemed to be able to see through the cool and calm façade that Allen was holding up.

Allen shifted nervously, placing the half-eaten bowl of soup back on the table. He didn't have much of an appetite right now. His left hand suddenly seemed heavy and numb. He stared back at Lavi, gray orbs boring through green. After all this time at the Home, he could safely say that the one he was closest to was definitely Lavi. Lavi had looked past his once cold and untrusting demeanor and had pried his heart open. He had taught Allen that there was, in fact, such a thing as the people you could call your 'family'.

Lavi cared. Allen could see it in his eyes. And that was why he started talking, the words tumbling out from his mouth slowly and unsurely. Then they started to flow, pouring out like a waterfall. It was as if a huge load had been lifted from his soul. The tears joined the words in flow, but even as the words slowly stopped, the tears continued flowing. Arms encircled his shaking shoulders, hugging him close. They stayed like that for a long time till the wails became sobs, and the sobs became shallow breaths. There was a brief silence before Lavi spoke.

"Both my parents died when I was born. It was a freak accident. I was left in the care of my grandpa. When I was walking back home with him after dinner one day, a couple of guys ran past and grabbed his briefcase before shooting him in the head. And then they shot me." Lavi pointed to his eye patch and smiled.

"I was just like you, Allen. That day when you first came here, I looked at you and was instantly reminded of my old self. And the only way you can knock off that load you carry is to share it with someone else." He grinned that wide grin of his; so infectious that Allen felt himself smiling back.

"Now you're gonna go downstairs where everyone's tryna fix up that new tele Froi got for us, and you're gonna tell everyone that you're sorry for making them worry so much." Lavi hoisted Allen up by his elbow and dragged him along with him before he could refuse.

* * *

"The blue wire should connect there…" Daisya murmured from behind a large instruction manual.

"How hard can it be to set up a bloody television?" growled Kanda, a tangle of wires in his hand.

"Come on, Kanda. It's only been half an hour. We'll figure this out." Eva sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she reached for one of the wires.

Kanda stood up and dumped the wires on the floor. "I'm gonna go sleep. I'm not even going to be watching this damn thing anyway. Che." He slid open the door and instantly collided with Allen.

"W-what the?" Allen cried out, rubbing his sore forehead. "Out of my way, beansprout." Kanda shoved Allen aside and headed up the stairs in a huff.

"Allen!" Lenalee exclaimed, jumping up from her spot on the couch and running over. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you? Lavi didn't let us see you! He shoo'ed us off and insisted that you needed to rest and be alone for awhile!"

Everyone had crowded around them, and Allen was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic.

"I'm fine, I really am! Please continue whatever you were doing." Allen insisted, waving his hands in front of his face.

"Oh, we were just trying to set up the new television Froi just bought." Fou laughed, gesturing towards the huge mess of wires, plastic wraps and boxes. Lavi dragged his palm down his face.

"Man, you guys… Come on, let me help." Lavi pushed his way through the crowd of people and started untangling the wires.

Fifteen minutes later, all of them were seated on the couch, watching as Timothy fiddled with the remote.

"Geez, pass the remote will ya'?" Daisya grumbled, snatching the remote from Timothy's grip.

He jabbed the red button with his thumb, and the screen came to life. Everyone "oooh"-ed as the weather lady began to present the weather forecast.

"This is awesome. Our own television!" Fou laughed, using the coffee table as a footrest.

Allen leaned back, a smile on his face as a shampoo advertisement came on.

* * *

"Where's Allen?" Krory called over the hustle and bustle of the Home. Everyone was helping Kanda, Lavi and Komui to pack. Komui had returned home a few days ago and Lenalee had had a long talk with him.

"I'm here!" Allen yelled from the top of the stairs. Stacks of boxes lay in his arms and were threatening to spill over.

"Lemme help you with that." Lavi appeared from behind him, lifting two of the boxes off him.

The three of them were going to the college in the next town and were packing to move. Froi had organized an outing to the beach for everyone the day before, and they had all come home sporting dark tans.

"All done!" Lavi announced, slamming his luggage shut and locking it up. "I'll be bringing these to the car." He picked up his boxes and his luggage and headed out where the others were waiting. Allen followed after.

Everyone was saying their goodbyes. Komui was fussing over Lenalee, making sure that she was okay. Kanda was already inside the van, annoyed and waiting. Eva had climbed in with him and was talking to him. Lavi caught Allen in a bear hug, squeezing the air out of him.

"I'll really miss ya, roommate." He whined, his lips set in a pout.

"Haha. I'll miss you too, Lavi." Allen grinned. "See you during the holidays."

Lavi smiled back, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "Be safe, kay?"

"Yeah, I will. Stop worrying so much."

"Can't help it, you're always getting into trouble somehow." Lavi laughed.

"Lavi, come on! Gotta go!" Komui called from inside the van.

"Coming!" Lavi picked up his suitcase and gave Allen one last half-hug before running off towards the van.

"They grow up so fast." Froi murmured, his arms crossed. "They were such wee little things when I took them in." Allen chuckled, watching with a heavy heart as the old van drove off.

* * *

**A/N: **School's been tiring.


	10. Introducing: Family

DGM belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and I'm just playing in the haven of her fictional world.

_The Change That Was Allen Walker_

**Chapter 10**; Introducing: Family

This is the last chapter, thanks for reading this far. :)

* * *

_3 years later;_

Allen chewed on his lip silently, staring fixedly at the painting in front of him. Streaks of red and orange were thrown around the canvas, accompanied with splatters of green and yellow. He couldn't figure it out. Giving up, he proceeded to walk on to the next exhibit. It was too bad Fou wasn't in his History class, or she would have accompanied him to the museum and he could at least have someone to talk to. It wasn't as if he didn't have friends, just that everyone had their own cliques and he didn't bother attaching himself to any group. Hands in his pocket, he stared absent-mindedly out of the large glass windows. Snow drifted lazily down from the sky, carpeting the pavements. He decided that he would bring Timothy and Daisya out to make snowmen when he got home.

A hair of red entered the café across the street.

Eyes widening, Allen stood frozen in his spot.

Could it be?

Allen huffed, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to try. He jogged up to his History teacher, Mr. Dopp.

"Sir, I'll be in the bathroom if you need me."

Mr. Dopp nodded. "Hurry boy, only fifteen minutes left before we leave."

Running out of the doors of the museum, he didn't bother looking out for cars as he dashed across the street. Honks filled the air behind him, growing softer as he entered the small café. Immediately, his eyes scanned the place for that familiar shade of red.

None.

Sighing in defeat, he turned to leave. It was then that he noticed him sitting at the very corner, sipping a cup of coffee while staring out the window. A flurry of emotions ran through Allen.

Should he be happy? Or should he be angry that he didn't even bother to visit once?

_He probably doesn't even want to see me,_ Allen thought glumly. He made sure to walk out the door without bringing any attention to himself. (Which was hard, mind you, given his hair and scar.)

"Allen?" Said boy stopped in his tracks. "Allen, is that you?"

He turned around slowly, just in time to see Lavi wave to him and motion for him to take a seat. Sighing inwardly, he made his way to the seat and sat down.

There was a moment of awkward silence. So much for a happy reunion.

"Hi, Lavi." Allen said carefully, not looking Lavi in the eye.

"Hi."

"What're you doing here?"

"Notin' much. You?"

"Class excursion."

"Ah."

The silence stretched on again, filled with tension.

"Hey, uhm… Well, I'm sorry man. For not visiting." Lavi began nervously, running his hands through his hair. It was still as unruly as ever.

"Hn. Doesn't matter." Allen said, as if he didn't care at all. Inside, though, a million questions were running through his head.

"I actually have an explanation for that." he said, looking proud of himself.

"Really? What's that?" Allen propped his elbows up on the table and interlocked his fingers, before resting his chin on them.

"College was a blur. Tests everyday and everything. I didn't have time."

"You could have made time for family."

Lavi didn't know what to say, shrinking under Allen's sudden profound glare.

"Look, I'm sorry okay?"

"We were worried. And we missed you."

"I was actually planning on visiting this weekend."

"Nope. You're gonna be visiting today." Allen smiled.

"I can't. I have projects to complete." Lavi insisted.

"You're gonna bring your work with you then." Allen said simply, his tone of voice hinting that there would be no argument.

"Man, Allen, you sure have gotten more bitchy!" Lavi grunted.

"Uh-huh. I'll meet you outside that museum in ten minutes." Allen instructed, standing up. "And if you're not there, I will _kill you_, literally, the next time I see you." With that, he exited the café and ran back to the museum.

"Walker! You're late!" Mr. Dopp reprimanded. The whole class was already assembled and waiting for him.

"Sorry sir. Bad stomach." Allen apologized, joining the rest. Mr. Dopp gave a debrief, giving Allen some time to arrange his thoughts. His head was telling him to be angry at Lavi for not keeping contact, yet his heart couldn't be happier to see the redhead well and alive. He missed Lavi. Mr. Dopp dismissed them and everyone slowly filed out of the museum. Trudging outside, Allen noticed that the redhead wasn't there.

Not that he expected him to be there, anyway.

Sighing in disappointment, he walked off slowly, kicking the snow around him.

"Stupid Lavi. Stupid, stupid, stupid as-"

"Who's the stupid ass?" Allen jumped, giving a surprised squeak as Lavi crept up on him from behind.

"You!" Allen yelled, spinning around and glared at the grinning man. Lavi laughed merrily. Allen smiled in response. He hadn't heard that laugh in so long.

Lavi brought Allen into a chokehold, which Allen strongly protested to. "C'mon buddy, let's go!" he laughed once more, dragging Allen with him as the both of them walked towards the train station.

* * *

"Can't catch me!" Timothy yelled, running from a snow-covered Allen. Catching up to him, Allen tackled him to the ground. Laughter and screams resonated in the air as everyone played outside in the snow. Lenalee lay in the snow, making a snow angel as Lavi built a snowman beside her. They chatted happily, with Lavi getting up ever so often to wrestle Daisya. Fou sat on the fence with Eva, who had just came back for a visit from college. Kanda sat on the front steps with bowl of hot soba on his lap, an annoyed look crossing his features ever so often when an especially loud scream rang through the air. The only one who wasn't back was Komui, who was working full time in order to be able to provide some money for the Home.

Panting, Allen lay on his back, staring as the clouds drifted across the sky lazily.

"I wish we could all just stay like this forever." he sighed. "Soon, everyone will leave here."

Lavi unwound his scarf and tied it round his snowman's neck.

"We're a family, remember?" Lavi said to the younger boy, standing up and looking down with pride at his completed work. He smiled at Allen. "We don't break apart that easily."

* * *

**A/N:** Hellooooo. This is the last chapter. Sorry that it's so short, I kinda wanted it that way. Thanks to all my reviewers and those who story-alerted/favourited this. And thanks for those who read this far and enjoyed the story. I love you guys :{D


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